Editor's Note

The Charge

"Everything that seems clear is bent and everything that seems bent is
clear. Trapped in reflections, you must learn to recognize when a lie
masquerades as the truth."

Opening Statement

What do you think of when you think of spy movies? James Bond washing up on a
beach with Ursula Andress, a non-stop chase with Jason Bourne, or perhaps the
slapstick and silliness of Austin Powers?The Good Shepherd may star Jason
Bourne himself, Matt Damon, but don't look for thrills and action. Think along
the lines of John LeCarre-style disillusionment, as seen in The Constant Gardener, and you'll be
getting warmer.

Facts of the Case

It's 1961. President Kennedy is looking for a fall guy in the wake of the Bay
of Pigs failure. Top-level CIA man Edward Wilson (Matt Damon, The Bourne Identity) has his own
problems in the form of a package containing a photo and tape that he finds
inside his door when he comes home from work one day.Wilson takes the package in
for analysis. As the CIA team studies the photo and tape to find out who's in
the picture and where it was taken, Wilson analyzes his own life in flashbacks,
recalling his initiation into Yale's Skull and Bones secret society, his
recruitment into the OSS and his wartime service, and his role in the formation
of the Central Intelligence Agency.Wilson's home life is bleak. He married his
lovely wife Clover (Angelina Jolie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith) only because she
became pregnant, and he left on their wedding day for World War II service
overseas. He returns to find the once-saucy beauty asking him to sleep in the
guest room; she's even rechristened herself Margaret to reflect her newly
serious nature.The key to unlocking Edward Wilson's mind might be found in the
suicide note left by Edward's father when the future CIA "heart and
soul" was only six years old—if Edward is brave enough to open the
sealed note and read it. As The Good Shepherd jumps from vignette to
vignette, will it land on this key?

The Evidence

As Jason Bourne (or whoever he really was), Matt Damon was a kinetic energy
machine and an emotional avenger. As Edward Wilson, Damon's restrained, perhaps
too much so. Over the course of the movie, the audience sees the cracks in
Damon's excellently crafted poker face, one that clearly shows he's thinking but
doesn't let anyone know what he's thinking. However, he only lets Wilson's
emotions loose once, as the CIA man argues with his wife Margaret.The character
of Wilson often comes across as too much of a passive vessel. He stands by
helplessly as his British intelligence tutor is tossed into a river by his own
side. His first meeting with future wife Clover finds her making all the
moves.The character study is often well done and even insightful, but Wilson
hardly has the magnetism of Charles Foster Kane. While there's a fine supporting
cast, led by Jolie, there's little attempt to show their inner lives; it's
Wilson's story all the way. I'd have liked to have seen more of the passion and
idealism that the one-time poetry student must have started out with, so that
the toll of his descent into the amoral world of espionage could be measured.
The Good Shepherd also could have been sheared down to a more manageable
two-hour form.Even though I'd have liked a little less of The Good
Shepherd to look at, I liked its atmospheric look. Characters are often seen
as shadows, reflecting the shadowy nature of their work, and director Robert De
Niro uses the ambient noise of rain, church bells, and footsteps excellently to
emphasize the movie's moral points as well as creating a noirish mood. The
haunting, somber musical score also is used well. These things come across
excellently in this transfer.The only extras here are deleted scenes. Most of
this 16-minute package reveals a subplot about Clover's brother coming home from
imprisonment in Russia. I was grateful to the editors for clipping out the
subplot, but there's a nice character moment for John Turturro (Transformers) as Wilson's assistant
at the end as he and Wilson pack up the London office.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Despite my irritation with the stone-faced character of Wilson, I'll have to
say Matt Damon played him effectively, and breaks away from his Bourne
identity without trouble. If you come into it prepared for a lengthy, intense
experience, The Good Shepherd has some great scenes and overall strong
craftsmanship.

Closing Statement

The Good Shepherd is obviously well crafted, but I found myself
looking at my watch after the two-hour mark. It's a study of a character who's
rather hard to watch. Even as it runs long and goes off in numerous directions,
The Good Shepherd could stand to tell the audience more about Wilson's
key relationships with his wife and his son.

The Verdict

The overall effort's not guilty, but I'll hand down a misdemeanor charge of
insufficient trimming for this Good Shepherd.